Moral compass leadership advice

Relevant to the October article on moral compass, truth, and selective perception is this article from Anthony Howard, Global CEO Mentor and Coach, who is also an author and keynote speaker on human-centered leadership.

In his LinkedIn article, Howard talks about his time spent on the sea, where he used a compass to navigate through reefs and shoals and around the Australian coast. He notes that, in terms of the equipment on the ship, a compass is perhaps the most important thing to have. He then compared his experiences on the sea to the hazards that many leaders face in life, some of which are obvious, some hidden, and some lurking just below the surface.

One thing they have in common, he notes, is that a compass is required to navigate safely, but in this case, it is the moral compass. The moral compass helps you keep pointed toward “true north,” toward what is beautiful, true, and good, and toward your ultimate purpose. Today, the need for a moral compass is more important than ever and just as a crew trusted him to navigate safely, so too do people trust their leaders to choose wisely, and choose well.

In the remainder of the article, Howard talks about how a moral compass is a fundamental tool in the leader’s toolkit, and offered some tips on how to keep that tool in full working order. First, he suggested, is being very careful about your environment.